International Research Field Research Articles

Discourses of diversity in music education: The curriculum framework of the Norwegian Schools of Music and Performing Arts as a case

In this article, we enquire into the language of diversity as it is currently in use in the field of music education, by way of exploring the social and educational ambitions of the Norwegian system of extra-curricular, Schools of Music and Performing Arts. We take as our case the recently launched governing document of this particular educational system, named Curriculum framework for schools of music and performing arts: Diversity and deeper understanding. Analysing this document as a discursive statement, and through a Foucauldian theoretical lens, we investigate the meanings of “diversity” enacted within and across the various textual-discursive contexts of the curriculum framework, identifying and exploring four nodal points of signification, namely: 1) diversity understood as difference in students’ ethno-cultural backgrounds; 2) diversity of educational opportunities and modes of expression; 3) diversity and/or/as deeper understanding; and 4) diversity of learning arenas and contexts: entrepreneurial expectations. The discussion of the findings is conducted in dialogue with a historical understanding of the Norwegian Schools of Music and Performing Arts’ societal mandate and approach to diversity as well as various understandings of diversity within the international field of music education research. We conclude by pointing out that the macro-level institutional strategy and aim of emphasising and encouraging diversity cannot be understood as fulfilled before it has been sufficiently operationalised and has trickled down into the everyday actions of teachers and students. Only then is it implemented as a tool accessible on the micro-level and with the potential to enhance students’ participation and agency.

Incremental Updating Information Extraction and Topology Conflict Detection Method for Updating Road Network

Abstract. In recent years, Located Based Service (LBS) has become one of the hotspots on the application of geographic information to the government and the public. Providing a good performance map to the users is an important part of the location service system. Compared with the traditional web spatial information service system, service system of map information also put forward higher requirements of real time and veracity. The problem of updating electronic map in real-time cannot be effectively solved, hindering the updating of multi-scale electronic map and restricting the development of location service market. As a very important branch for the updating data field of geographic information science, incremental update has become a hot issue in the current international GIS research field. The extraction of incremental information includes two key technologies, namely road network matching and road network selection. After incremental updating roads were inserted into the database, coordinating topological conflicts caused by these inserted roads was the mainly task. However, the accuracy and algorithm efficiency of each technology need further improvement to provide the users with the latest and the most accurate basic geographic data. As the "skeleton" element of a map, the road network rapidly changes, carrying out more urgent requires for the incremental road update. Aiming at key technology problems of the updated road network, the paper focused on the following three parts:(1) To address the problems that the traditional probabilistic relaxation method only adopted geometric constraints as one of road matching criterions and could not respond to M: N matching pattern, an improved probabilistic relaxation method was proposed from the combined views of local optimization and global one, integrating geometric indicators with topology ones to achieve an effect with local optimization, as well as identifying M: N matching pattern by inserting virtual nodes to achieve a globally optimal effect. Then the matching strategies and corresponding implement algorisms were designed for different matching patterns. The case test showed that the overall matching accuracy of each evaluation indictor reached over 90%, increasing by 6%–12%; the evaluation indicators on both spatial and attribute properties increased by 4%–6%; the proper buffer threshold could be defined as twice the average value of the closest distances from all nodes in the candidate matching dataset.(2) Aiming at the low accuracy and irrational structural selection caused by only using linear pattern or areal pattern, an improved method was proposed combining linear method as well as areal ones. The proposed method improves the Stroke generation algorithm of linear pattern using OLS model taking the overall information from the roads to be connected. Meanwhile, it partitioned road network by weighted Voronoi diagrams. The roads were selected under the process of calculating the importance of Stroke and its road density threshold. The test demonstrated that the improved method added the accuracy of Stroke generation results, and the results of road selection could maintain the overall characteristics of the road network as well as its spatial distribution information. Compared with method only using one pattern, the combined method had a better accuracy of road selection.(3) According to the characteristics of detection topology for an updated road network, this paper proposed a topology conflict detection algorithm considering the incremental update of multi-scale network. The algorithm designed K-level topological neighbourhood to identify incremental neighbourhood road segments, built a topological refinement model based on geometric metrics, proposed checking rules based on comprehensive operation operator, and detected the conflict topology by using improved topological distance. The experimental results showed that 1) the accuracy and recall of the proposed method were more than 90%; 2) considering conflict topology caused by the generalization, the accuracy increased by 29.2%; 3) the average path length of a road network could be used as the reference of the best K-value in the K order incremental neighbourhood method.

A new vision for bioethics training in global health

A new vision for bioethics training in global health

Corporate engagement in humanitarian action

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to open up new lines of research into the engagement of corporations during humanitarian crises. The paper provides an introduction to core concepts in the delivery of humanitarian assistance, as well as a comprehensive overview of when, why, how, and to what effect corporations engage in humanitarian action.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on extant literature and policy reports, the paper synthesizes concepts and insights to map the interdisciplinary field of research on corporate engagement in humanitarian action.FindingsThe paper systematically reviews and describes different dimensions of corporate engagement for delivering humanitarian action and explains key complications that inspire new research questions. In particular, the paper highlights challenges associated with getting corporations to engage in humanitarian action; challenges associated with ensuring effective corporate engagement; and challenges associated with ensuring ethical engagement.Originality/valueBy raising new questions about corporate engagement in humanitarian action, this paper develops an original and positive research agenda for international business, management research, and related fields.

CURRENT PROBLEMS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF INTERNATIONALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN POLAND

Internationalization of universities is one of the most important processes which development can be observed in the first decade of the 21st century. This process existed all over the world for many years, and it always was one of the engines which stimulated development of research as well as education. Many European countries entered the international market of higher education just about 30 years ago when some European projectsstarted. It boomed especially after the enlargement of EU in 2004 and participation of many countries in the creation of EHEA and ERA. However, despite many activities and programmes performed, the level of internationalization of higher education institutions in Poland is still disappointing. Effective methods of increasing internationalization of HEIs should therefore be sought. The paper presents an approach to the intensification of the internationalization process. The main goals for the activities in this field were determined. The current state of existing programs of international exchange available for students and some other activities as summer schools, double diploma programmes, foreign language courses and international accreditations were also discussed. Current national and university programmes aiming in intensification of development of the international exchange were also described. Among operational goals of these strategies the following needs were indicated: increasing attractiveness of different universities as partners in international educational and research fields; giving international character for educational and research activities; improving the image of European higher education.

Responsible Access to Data in International Field Research: A Case Study from Tanzania

This case study illustrates the author's narrative of his experience obtaining local research ethics approval in Tanzania. It highlights the additional requirements a foreign researcher in Tanzania can encounter with visa approval which is a separate process from research ethics approval. While fulfilling the visa requirements may not be directly related to the ethical administration of research per se, it is part of the responsible conduct of research (RCR) which, among others, includes respect for the local laws and procedures of the host country. The narrative shows that a responsible access to field data in such cases requires fulfilling two separate but complimentary processes: local research ethics review and proper visa attainment. Further, an example of an 'irresponsible' access to data is also presented for comparison and examination of the consequences.

Bibliometric Analysis of Trends in Global Sustainable Livelihood Research

The concept of sustainable livelihoods (SL) is one of the most important subjects of sustainable development, and is an important long-term goal for poverty alleviation. There has been growing interest in the nature and practical application of SL in recent decades. This paper applies bibliometric analysis to collect and analyze data on sustainable livelihoods from the expanded Science Citation index (SCIE) and the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). Bibliometric maps can assist greatly in visualizing and summarizing large volumes of data and in studying scientific outputs. The findings offer insights into research trends pertaining to SL, such as these: (1) In recent decades there has been an increase in both the number of papers on SL and their scientific influence. (2) The most active journals are Sustainability, Ecology and Society, Land Use Policy, and International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology. (3) SL papers are distributed mainly in the fields of Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies, Ecology, Planning & Development, and Green & Sustainable Science & Technology. (4) The USA and UK are leaders in SL research as measured by both the quantity and quality of SL publications. Some developing countries, notably India and China, have seen an increase in SL publications in recent years. (5) Wageningen University in Netherlands, the Chinese Academy of Science, and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), headquartered in Indonesia, have had a major influence in the field of international SL research. (6) International cooperation has a positive effect on the growth of SL research, suggesting that there is a need for strengthening cooperation among countries, international institutions, and individuals. (7) Major areas of SL research (“hot topics”) are theoretical research on the SL concept; ecosystem conservation; poverty reduction in the poverty-stricken areas; the impact of climate change on livelihoods; and linkages between SL-related policies and institutional change.

Competition Between Labour‐Sending States and the Branding of National Workforces

AbstractDrawing from comparative, international field research examining fast food labour migration from the Philippines and Mexico to western Canada, I contrast the Mexican and Filipino migration apparatuses and the corresponding branding of their citizenry. I show that the Philippines, through its migration apparatus, brands the Philippines as a source of “exceptional” labour, in part by deploying college graduates and those with professional work experience to work in entry‐level occupations. In turn, they outpace other labour‐sending states – like Mexico – who are branded in less desirable terms for interactive occupations. The policy decision to deskill (or not) and to produce (or fail to produce) educated and “exceptional” mobile subjects operates either as a conveyer belt or a migratory wall for distinct states in their ability to send more workers overseas. This has broader implications for global race relations and the branding effects that underlie Temporary Migrant Worker Programs.

The promises and limitations of international comparative research on teacher education

ABSTRACTThis article revisits methodological perspectives on international comparative research on teacher education (TE). Benefits and problems related to comparative educational research methodology in general are discussed. Further, methodological issues associated with designing and carrying out an international comparative study on TE are addressed using a multi-level study on teacher education in Finland and Norway an as example. Towards the end of the article, the promises and limitations of international comparative research on TE are presented. Important benefits of comparative education on TE include widening the understanding of one’s own and other TE systems as well as gaining an understanding of international trends. However, uncritical use of such research may lead to decontextualised, ahistorical and standardised transfer and development of education and educational policies. The article concludes by urging researchers in the field of international comparative research on teacher education to address the questions: What is being compared? How is context addressed?

Anxiety, depression and stress among employees of a public higher education institution in São Paulo, Brazil.

ABSTRACT |Background: Occupational health is increasing in visibility within the scientific community and has become a field of international research and discussions in which occupational stress is described as a possible stressor.Objective: To analyze the relationship between anxiety and depression symptoms and socioeconomic level among technical-administrative employees of a public university in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.Methods: The sample comprised 89 participants. Data were obtained through Lipp’s Inventory of Stress Symptoms for adults to identify levels of stress and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale. An additional questionnaire was administered to gather information on educational and socioeconomic levels.Results: About 45% of the participants exhibited symptoms of anxiety and 39% of depression, however, without direct relationship with their socioeconomic level. Among the participants with depression 50% were professors, and among those with depression 38.4% were administrative employees. Stress was more frequent among the participants who had attended higher education (29.6%) and graduate studies (33.3%).Conclusion: The study results indicate a high prevalence of anxiety and depression regardless of the socioeconomic level of the participants. Stress was more frequent among the participants with higher educational level.

Training for English-Medium Instruction in French Higher Education: Keeping Pronunciation in Focus

English-Medium Instruction (EMI) is spreading in French higher education and this paper argues that appropriate support for teachers willing to teach their subject in English should focus on both language and content, and on the pedagogical specificities of combining the two. More specifically, I argue that the pronunciation component of any such training must go beyond improving a teacher’s intelligibility. Training in the specificities of spoken English – for both teachers and students, as interchangeable speakers and listeners – should aim to improve two things: attitudes toward variation of spoken language and awareness of the cognitive impact of foreign-accented speech (FAS) (speech which exhibits acoustic features from a speaker’s mother tongue(s)). In this paper, I start by describing pronunciation as a subject in English language teacher training in the English-speaking world and second language pronunciation as an international research field. This is followed by a brief description of EMI teacher training in France and the presentation of a few key findings of research into the social and cognitive impact of FAS. I then outline what is involved for both listeners and speakers, if we want to modify their attitudes to spoken language variation and to improve their cognitive comfort in processing FAS. Example training exercises are outlined, and in the conclusion a greater role is advocated for English language teachers within the internationalisation of French higher education.

THE ZHENG FAMILY AND THE DUTCH IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO: COMPETITION AND CONFLICT IN THE 17TH CENTURY

This paper attempts to examine the development of the Zheng family’s trading activities in the Malay Archipelago, especially during the time of Zheng Chenggong, when the family had to compete with the Dutch in the Straits of Malacca. For this purpose, the qualitative analytical approaches are employed with reference to the primary sources of the Western and Chinese travellers during the 17th century, namely, Willem Ysbrandsz Bontekoe and George Hughes, apart from the gazettes annotated by Li Jinming and Liao Da Ke. In addition, secondary sources, such as the books, monographs, articles and journals written by some distinguished scholars in the field of international maritime research have been studied. The works of Patrizia Carioti, Leonard Blusse, Meilink-Roelofsz and Xing Hang, among others, have also been investigated for their critical views and arguments. In sum, this study aims to show that trade conflicts and competition between the Zheng family and the Dutch in the 17th century have impacted particularly the Chinese traders in the Malay Archipelago. This is because both of these powers are seen trying to assume the role which had hitherto been played by these Chinese merchants as a strong competitor in the marine trade in the east and southeast of the Malay Archipelago. In this regard, discussions on this topic would contribute to a better understanding of the big powers competing in the region to dominate the Straits of Malacca. Additionally, this study sets to prove that private trading activities in the Malay Archipelago which flourished during the 17th century was built and developed by the Zheng family from Taiwan and not merely attributed to the Chinese traders from China.Keywords: Zheng Family, trading network, Malay Archipelago, port cities, primary recordsCite as: Ku, B.D., (2018). The Zheng family and the Dutch in the Malay archipelago: Competition and conflict in the 17th century. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 3(2),54-65. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol3iss2pp54-65

Mixed Embeddedness Revisited: A Conclusion to the Symposium

This essay concludes the Symposium on the mixed embeddedness approach to migrant entrepreneurship by briefly outlining the development of mixed embeddedness, reflecting on its position within the international field of migrant entrepreneurship research, and by highlighting its key elements. We first discuss how the mixed embeddedness approach came into being. Thereafter we highlight the basic components of the approach and we argue why such an approach should be preferred to other, more mono-causal approaches. Our contribution concludes by pointing to the adjustments that the approach has undergone since its introduction in the late 1990s.

No Frame to Fit It All: An Autoethnography on Teaching Undergraduate Korean Studies, on and off the Peninsula

In the past two decades, Korean Studies has expanded to become an interdisciplinary and increasingly international field of study and research. While new undergraduate Korean Studies programs are opening at universities in the Republic of Korea (ROK) and intensifying multi-lateral knowledge transfers, this process also reveals the lack of a clear identity that continues to haunt the field. In this autoethnographic essay, I examine the possibilities and limitations of framing Korea as an object of study for diverse student audiences, looking towards potential futures for the field. I focus on 1) the struggle to escape the nation-state boundaries implied in the habitual terminology, particularly when teaching in the ROK, where the country is unmarked (“Han’guk”), the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is marked (“Pukhan”), and the diaspora is rarely mentioned at all; 2) the implications of the expansion of Korean Studies as a major within the ROK; 3) in-class navigations of Korean national pride, the trap of Korean uniqueness and (self-)orientalization and attitudes toward the West; 4) the negotiation of my own status as a white American researching/teaching about Korea, often to Koreans; 5) reactions to the (legitimate) demands of undergraduate Korean Studies majors to define the field and its future employment opportunities. Finally, I raise some questions about teaching methodologies in Korean Studies. Drawing on my experiences with diverse groups of students, I ask those involved in this field to consider with me the challenges emerging in a time of rapid growth.

The Impact of a Short-Term Study Abroad Program that Offers a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience and Conservation Activities

Short-term study abroad experiences are the most common type of undergraduate study abroad programs in the United States. However, and to the best of our knowledge, little empirical research exists on students’ learning outcomes following their participation in a short-term program using an integrated research praxis. To address this, we structured an international embedded program in Costa Rica and Panama which allowed students to engage in authentic research experiences topically centered in ecology and service-learning activities in conservation biology. Mixed methods analyses on data generated from the assessment of students (n=54) in three cohorts, revealed students’ gains (both positive and negative) in specific scientific skills and knowledge domains in both the fields of ecology and conservation biology, as well as interest in doing further field research, perceptions of authentic international field research, appreciation of the value of biodiversity, advocacy, and future actions as conservationists and informed citizens (global citizenship).

Polly L. Arnold

Polly L. Arnold

Children’s Understandings of Well-Being in Global and Local Contexts: Theoretical and Methodological Considerations for a Multinational Qualitative Study

Research on child well-being is an expanding international, inter- and trans-disciplinary field of research that has developed significantly within the last decades. While the achievements in the field are immense, the developments raise new challenges for the child well-being research field. In this paper three major challenges will be highlighted and discussed: Firstly, challenges regarding how to define well-being theoretically, secondly; challenges associated with integrating children’s perspectives in research; and thirdly, challenges of engaging with processes of globalisation and trans-national contexts which impact on children’s well-being and how we engage with these processes as researchers. We then outline a comparative qualitative study “Children’s understandings of well-being - global and local contexts” that attempts to respond to these challenges: by starting with children’s constructions of well-being as a basis for analysing the normativity of constructions of well-being; by explicitly accounting for the context in which these constructions are developed -embedding children’s perspectives within the social orders they are part of and contribute to; and by empirically analysing the relevance of multi-scalar contexts as social constructions for children’s understandings and experiences of well-being.

Research progress and prospect of sense of coherence theory in nursing field

Sense of coherence is a hot topic in the field of international psychological research in recent years. It opens a new perspective for exploring individual′s physical and mental health. As a typical representative of high risk and high-intensity work, the psychological consistency of nursing staff is more obvious. Now in this paper, the concept of psychological alignment and its development in the field of nursing were summarized, summarizes the content of the psychological theory of alignment in nursing, dimension and measurement tools, this paper analyzes the related variables. However, there is a lack of research on the longitudinal study and intervention strategy of psychological consensus in nursing field at home and abroad, which needs further empirical research. Key words: [Keywords]Nursing care; Sense of coherence

Transnational entrepreneurship, social networks, and institutional distance

PurposeTransnational entrepreneurship can be considered a new stream of research where migrant entrepreneurship and international business research fields intersect. The purpose of this paper is to offer a theoretical framework to address the following research question: How do transnational entrepreneurs (TEs) develop their competitive advantage to succeed in a global market?Design/methodology/approachBased on the strategic entrepreneurship approach and dynamic capability perspective, this paper suggests a theoretical framework to extend the understanding on how TEs may develop their competitive advantage to succeed in a global market.FindingsThe suggested theoretical framework exhibits how the social ties of TEs affects their firm performance through the mediating effect of a bundle of two organizational processes (opportunity sensing and opportunity seizing) and the moderating effect of institutional distance between countries of origin and residence.Practical implicationsTEs should not solely focus on their ethnic social ties. That is why this paper suggests that ethnic ties in the country of origin and the country of residence (COR) may lead to higher firm performance only if systematically used alongside nonethnic ties in the COR. Furthermore, it is crucial for TEs to understand the importance of dynamic capabilities in developing and sustaining their competitive advantage.Originality/valueBased on the strategic entrepreneurship approach, this paper suggests a social tie-based model of the dynamic capability to address the theoretical void in the transnational entrepreneurship literature. The linkage between social tie and performance which has been in a black box is examined in terms of how strong and weak social ties may affect different underlying processes of TEs’ dynamic capabilities differently. In contrast to the common conceptualization of institutional distance as a negative moderator in international business literature, institutional distance is theorized as a positive moderator in the suggested theoretical model of transnational entrepreneurship.

A review and analysis of Advances in International Accounting research

During its thirty-year tenure (1987 through 2016), Advances in International Accounting (AIIA) helped pioneer the field of international accounting research and remained a viable publishing outlet. This article analyzes the 411 papers published during the Journal’s lifespan in terms of topics, country studies, methodology, authorship, and authorship models. In addition, contributions to international accounting research are highlighted through the use of citation analysis. The results show that AIIA published articles in a wide array of topics and methodologies, and note many changes between articles published in this century when compared with those published in the last century. AIIA authors were from 54 different countries. Major changes in authorship included US authors dropping from 58% to 37%, and an increase in authors from Australia, the UK, China, and continental European countries. While single authors used to write just over half of all papers, it shifted to around 80% of articles having multiple authors. Citation and other analysis finds that AIIA articles significantly contributed to the advance of international accounting research.